TEHRAN – The UN ambassador to Iran is calling on Iran to respond to continuing Israeli attacks, reaffirming his right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter, and to urgently deal with attacks on civilian regions and empirical nuclear facilities.
Amir Sayed Irabani, the permanent representative of the United Nations, met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, to convey the official position of the Islamic Republic and warned the consequences of ongoing international condemnation.
The New York conference now includes strikes on Iran’s civil infrastructure and nuclear facilities monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as Israel escalated its attack.
During discussions, Secretary-General Guterres expressed deep concern over the intense hostilities and repeatedly said attacks targeting civilians and nuclear facilities are unacceptable. He called for an immediate ceasefire and urged the rapid resumption of nuclear negotiations. Guterres warned that if the current trajectory continues, the crisis could escalate further, attracting potentially new military actors and turning the conflict into a wider international conflict.
Irabani stressed that Iran was not the initiator of the conflict and identified the Israeli regime as the main invader. “Iran is undergoing public attacks and believes it has the right to exercise its inherent rights of self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter,” he said. “Until the Security Council fulfills its responsibility to halt these offensive actions, Iran will continue to respond within its legitimate rights.”
Under IAEA supervision, Iaravani, highlighting Israel’s attacks on Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities, described them as a clear violation of international law. He recalled that the Security Council had previously condemned similar actions in Resolution 487.
Based on that precedent, Iranian envoys have called on Secretary-General Guterres to take a similar fair stance against the latest Israeli attacks. “Iran hopes that the United Nations will not abandon its legal and moral liability,” Irabani said it emphasized the need for international organizations to be held accountable in the face of illegal military action.